Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-05-29
DIRE CALAMITIES
Predicted for the Present Year by a Chicago
AstolOger.
The STARE BETHLEHEM THE CAUSE.
1t is Said by Astronomers to be Due This
Summer.
HOW 4 FALLACY IS CULTIVATED,


months of 1887, when the publlca-
tions have occurred with increasing fire.
quency, the newspapers and periodicals
of this country and Europe have contained
references to the Star of Bethlehem"
which, it was insisted, would reappear dur
ing the coming summer in all the brilliancy
which characterized it when, nineteen
centuries ago, it suddenly burst
upon the sight of the . Wise Men,
pointing out the location of the Babe whose
advent into the world meant so much for
human family. There is little in the ex-
tant writings ofthe historians OF that period
to indicate the particular quarter OF the
heavens in which the Star OF Bethle-
hem appeared, but the Bible distinctly says
it was Gin the East" This, however,
does not suit some people, who are going
about insisting upon the temperance OF
the star during the present year, and
boldly disregarding the Biblical chronicle,
they have assumed the original Star APP
peared in the northern sky, since 1t hap
pens hat in that part of the armament
there have appeared, at irregular intervals,
several stars ofexceptional and noteworthy
brightness, blazing out for q few months
with a brilliancy equaling or exceeding
Sirius, or even Venus, and then fading
away into inyisibility. The first of these
variable stars of which we have any record
was mentioned by Hipparchus, l27 years
before Christ. The same star is referred to
in the Chinese annals Of M%a-tOuan-lln,
l.4 Al, l,fa thnra cnt dawn IL
B. C. 134. The next phenomenon OF
this nature is the Star of Bethle-
hem, referred to in the Bible as marking
the birth of our Saviour, and the as
trologers and others who predict a reap
pearance this year and attach thereto a
long list of ills which are 10 befall human
itv, locate j. in the constellation C~assiopeia,
the better ID carry out their theory. No
mention of this star appears IN history
from the time of the birth of Christ until
the year 9i5, when a very brilliant star APP
peared in the northern heavens, between
Cepheus and Cassiopeia. In 1864 4 SIMILAR
star was noticed, in nearly the same spot
in the heavens, and again, in 1872 the well
known DANISH astronomer Tycho Brahe,
noticed, on the night OF the 18th of No
vember, a crowd of country people gazing
at a bright star which had suddenly
appeared in the northern sky.
This star remained visible for
sixteen months, during which time 1t kept
its place in the heavens without the least
variation, but gradually diminishing III
size. A writer of the time, in describing
it, said: st had all the radience OF the
fixed stars and twinkled like them; and
was in all respects like Sirius, except that
it surpassed Sirius in brightness and mag
nitude." For three weeks IT was so bright
as to be seen at MONDAY ''by those who
had good eyes and knew when TO look"
but by March, 1874, it had entirely disap-
reared. "As it decreased in size it varied
in color; at first it was white, then 1T be-
came yellowish, afterwards of a ruddy
color like Mars, and finished with a pale,
lurid white light"
1t is upon this star, that the claim of the
temperance of the Star of bethlehem IL
based. The fact that for nine hundred and
fifty years, from the birth of Christ to 9l5,
no star of this character was seen, does not
discourage the superstitious, who say its
appearance about A. ID. 3l5 and again
about A. d. $50 was overlooked. 1t is
highly improbable that such should be the
case, in an age when the heavens were
closely scanned for comets or anything else
of an unusual nature which could be held
up As a portcns whereby the ignorant and
superstitiOus might be influenced. Over
looking this, or casting it aside, the theorists
maintain that the subsequent stars of 945,
1864 and 1872 were temperatures OF one
and the same star, and they set down for
it a period of 3l5 years, which
makes il due in 1887. 1t has been pointed
out to these people that if the heavens
contained "A variable star having q period
of over three centuries, its movements,
like those of other variable stars of lesser
note, would be regular, while in
this instance there is a discrepancy of
several years. From 945 to 1864 the in
terval is $40 years, while from 1854 to
1862 is but 30S years, adherence of eleven
years. This new element of imprOb-
ability is likewise ignored, and the Star of
Bethlehem is awaited by believers in it
with that calm confidence which ignorance
only can inspire. Not only this, but a few
DAYS ago an amateur astronomer who had
set up his tripod in dangerous proximity
to the whisky producing district of Ken
lucky, announced over the telegraph
that he had discovered the long
looked for Star, and enthusiastically pre-
dicted that the world would soon be aston
ished by its size and brilliancy. Taking
his cue from this, and eager TO be first in
the field with a varied assortment Of choice
predictions, a Chicago astrOloger outlines
this cheerful list of events for the remain
der of the year, which, if they come TO
pass, will make business lively for the
special correspondents and tend to largely
increase the circulation of wide-awake
papers like the REGISTER among people
who desire to know what is going On.
This nineteenth century prophet goes on
to say that 1.-THE appearance Of the star,
accompanied as it will he by solar and
lunar eclipses, together with the haleful in
huence that follows the positions that Mars
and Saturn will occupy, will cause an uni
versal war, and ]portentions floods and fear.
tul shipwrecks. North America will be
involved in "A civil strife, and a reign OF
terror will prevail in the Atlantic States.
unless a Napoleon arises to quell it. There
will be a wal OF classes; the rich will array
themselves against the poor, and rice rersa,
everywhere"
This is cheerful. For those who may
desire to keep a lookout for this evil omen
this star which, after doing duty as a
beacon light over Bethlehem, pointing out
the location Of the greatest gift youchsafed
by God to man, now changes its mission
and ONE to plague the world-the follow
ing diagram and directions will be Of some
assistance. In that portion Of the north
ern heavens lying directly opposite the
Great Dipper' and at about the same
distance from the pole the reader will dis
cover, lying in the Milky Way, five stars,
making the rough outline Of a chair, thus: